Chuck for tubing machines



Jan. 1, 1929. 1,697,739

M. H. SUSSMAN CHUCK FOR TUBING MACHINES Filed Aug. 12, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY-5 Jan. 1, 1929, 1,697,739

M. H. SUSSMAN CHUCK FOR TUBING MACHINES Filed Aug. 12, .1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MHXWHL fKSusS WYN ATTORNEYS Jan. 1, 1929. 1,697,739

. M. H. SUSSMAN v CHUCK FOR TUBING MACHINES Filed Aug. 12, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR WHXWE; L Susan/7M ATTO BY I $118 /MMM[ W Jan. 1, 1929.

Filed Aug. 12, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR MAI/ WELL Sussnwm/ B Y Patented Jan. 1', 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,697,739 PATENT OFFICE.

MAXWELL H. SUSSMAN, F GARDENS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE .AS-

SIGNMENTS, TO STEEL AND TUBES, INC., 033 CLEVELAND, OHIO, A. CORPORATION 01' OHIO (INCORPORATED IN .1928) CHUCK FOR TUBING MAOHIN ES.

Application filed August 12, 1927. Serial No. 212,542.

- The invention relates to machines for makingfancy hollow tubing such as is used in the construction of articles of furniture, lamp standards and similar articles. In many cases it is desirable, principally for purposes of ornamentation, to give a twisted appearance to such tubes, either throughout their entire length or at spaced intervals lengthwise thereof. Heretofore considerable difliculty has been experienced in accomplishing these results, as the work is mostly done by hand, and the operation accordingly requiring a considerable expenditureof time and in many cases being .unsatisfactory in its re- 1 sults. The object of the present invention is to provide a novel and simple chuck and associated mechanism, whereby the desired twisted effect may be easily produced in a uniform and highly satisfactory manner on all classes of the indicated tubing regardless of the cross-sectional form thereof. The invention contemplates particularly the provision of a novel and reliable mechanism capable of producing the twisted'etfect at spaced and predetermined intervals lengthwise of the tube. Other objects will appear from the description hereinafter andthe features of novelty I '1 will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate examples of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a tubing machine embodying the novel features; Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the driving and control mechanism for-the chuck; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation approximately on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating the chuck; Figs. 6 and 7 are face views of two examples of said chuck, and Fig. 8 shows an example of the work done by the novel chuck.

The tube forming machineswhereby the blank is formed into a tube and welded along the seam may be of any conventional type 45 and include any usual or special features; as

the tube forming machine itself forms no part of the invention only enough of said machine has been illustrated to clearly show the novel features of the instant device. In

the drawings, 10 represents the supporting frame. of the tubing machine or more specifically the welding unit thereof, which is supported ".upon legs 11 and having mounted thereon the usual rollers 12 and 13 andother instrumentalities utilized in the forming and welding of the tubing; all of the instrumentalities referred to may be of any conventional form and arrangement.

The chuck whereby the twisted effect is imparted to the tubing is generally located at 8 the delivery end of the tube forming'machine, although in some cases the chuck and its associated mechanism may take the form of an independent machine. As shown in Fig. 1,

a bracket 14 is connected with the frame 10 by bolts or their equivalent 15 and carries a supporting arm 16 on which acap 17 is fastened by means of bolts or the like 18. The cap 17 includes an axial neck 19 located in axial registry with the path of travel of the tube a as it leaves the tubing machine and accomvmodating a hollow sleeve 20, the bore of whichis in alignment with an opening" 21, formed in the bracket arm 16 as shown in Fig. 5. The sleeve 20 is fixed in place by means of an annular shoulder 22 and a clampin nut 23 screwed upon the cap-end of said s eeve which is screwthreaded to receive the same as illustrated in Fig. 5; to maintain the sleeve 20 against rotation in the neck 19, a key 24 is located between said sleeve and neck in keyways provided for the accommodation of said key 24. A race ring 25 surrounds the sleeve 20 in surface engagement with the end of the neck 19 and is fixed in place against rotation 35 between said neck and a second annular shoulder 22 formed on said sleeve 20, as shown in Fig. 5. The ring 25 comprises part of a ball bearing and provides a raceway for balls 26 and a second race ring 27, the lat- 9o ter being suitably connected with a circular supporting plate 28 which includes a bearing surface 29 in rotatable engagement with the sleeve 20; an annular flange 30 extending outwardly from the sleeve 20 at its free end serves to maintain said late 28 against axial displacement on saidslheve 20 as shown in Fig. 5. The plate 28 carries the grooving rollers 31 whereby grooves b are spirally formed on the tubing (1, an example of which is illustrated in Fig. 8. The rollers 31 are arranged in predetermined groups upon the plate 28 to provide for instance the rectangular chuck of Fig. 6 or the hexagonal chuck of Fig. 7 In any case, the rollers 31 are jour- 5 nalled in forked members 32 forming inte-- gral parts of stems 38 extendin into bearing blocks 34 so as to be rotatab e therein, as

' -1nto recesses 33 in thestems 33, as illustrated in Fig. 5 to key said forked members and stems to the washers and to thereby fix.

the rollers 31 against movement about the axes of said stems 33.- The latter at their in ner ends, within the blocks 34, are engaged by thrust bearings 38, adjustably controlled by means of set screws 39. The blocks 34 are adjustably mounted in guides on the face of the supporting plate 28 and are fixed in their adjusted positions by lock-screws 41;, extending through slots 42, formed in flanges 43 with which the blocks 34 are provided; with this arrangement the blocks 34 and their associated elements are adjustable in radial dis rections on the plate 28 to selectively vary the positions of the rollers 31 of a given group with respect to eachother.

For the purpose of. causing the group of rollers 31 to travel in o era-tive movements about the tube a to form t e grooves b therein, a sprocket wheel 44 is attached by bolts45 to the supporting plate 28 so as to have a rotatable bearing upon the neck 19, as indicated in Fig. 5. The sprocket wheel 44 is connected by means of a sprocket chain 46 with a second s rocket wheel 47. fixed upon a. worm wheel ft 48 which is journalled in ball bearings 49; the latter are-mounted upon a table 50 which'in turn is supported upon legs 51, secured to and projecting upwardly from the frame 10 as shown in ig. 1. The shaft 48 further carries a worm wheel 52 which meshes with a worm 53 fixed upon a worm shaft 54,

rotatably mounted in ball bearings 55 suit-- ably supported upon the table 50, conven-' tional thrust bearings 56 being combined with said worm shaft54 to absorb end thrusts. A

clutch member 57 is keyed upon the shaft 54 so as to rotate therewith and, is slidable lengthwise thereof for co-operation with a clutch member 58 whereby a gear 59,which is mounted upon a drive shaft 54, is connected with anddisconnected from the shaft 54 in the manner to be more fullyset forth hereinafter;

the drive shaft 54 is journalled in ball bearings 55 in axial alignment with the worm shaft 54. -The gear 59 meshes with an idler gear 60 which in turn is in mesh with a motor gear 61, secured upon the driving shaft of an electric motor 62, depending from the table 51 and comprising the medium whereby motlve power is supplied to actuate the mechanism, as will appear more fully further on in the description. The drive shaft 54 is operatlvely connected, by means of a coupling 63,

' with a reducing unit 64 of any conventional.

type which is suitably mounted upon the table 50, the reducing unit 64 in turn being concam shaft 7 0' rotatably-mounted in bearings 71 supported upon the table 50'and being fur ther provided with a clutch operating cam 72; if necessary or desired thrust bearings 7 3' of conventional type ma be located upon the 1 shaft 7 0 adjacent to the in Fig. 3. i

he cam'72 comprises a plurality of cam arings 71 as shown sections located in spaced relation, the-illustrated example showing three such cam sections 7 2, 7 2", 72, each consisting of two cam members A and B adjustable relatively, to.

each other and to the base of the cam to vary the-action thereof at will. As shown in Fig. 4, the cam base 72 isslotted as indicated at 74 for the accommodation of locking bolts 75, whereby the cam members Aand B of each cam section may be adjusted together upon the base 7 2 or relatively to each: other thereon and fixed in any predetermined adjusted positions. A'roller 76 is arrangedto successivel ride upon said cam sections 7 2", 7 2 and 2 and to drop to the surface of the cam plate 72 between said sections and is mounted upononeend of a clutch lever 77 pivoted at 7 8- upon a standard 79 projecting upwardly f from the table 50, as illustrated in Fig. 4;jthe

opposite end of the lever 77- is'forked as indi cated at 80 to straddle the collar 81 of the clutch member 57, said forked end 80carrying rollers 82 which ride in anannular groove 83. formed in said collar 81 a spring 84 acts "on the lever 77 in a manner to maintain the roller 76 in operative engagement with the ac tive portions of the cam 72. v In the operation of the mechanism,'the tube a after having passed through the-tube forming machine, travels between the rollers 31 and after having been acted on thereby, con-,

tinues through the bore. of the sleeve 20 and openin 21 of the bracket arm 16. Previously the rollhrs 31 have been adjusted so as to extend at inclinations across the ath of the tube a, the degree of inclination ing predetermined by the twisted effect which it is desired to impart to said tube a; this adjustment is accomplished and fixed through the me-- dium of the washers 35and their associated elements. 7 In some instances, the rollers 31 may be loosely set in the bearing blocks 34 so as to be capable of automatically finding their own operative positions dependent upon the speed of travel of the tube a and the speed at'which the rollers 31 are caused to travel in a circular path. about said tube- In.

any case the rollers 31, when in action, Will form the spiral grooves b in the surfacesof the tubes 0: to give the same a twisted appearance, and when not travellingabout the axis of the tube a will form continuing grooves extending len hwise thereof.

The intermittent actuation of the rollers 31,

' to form the grooves b in spaced groups where- 1 64; the operation of the latter causes the inand their relative locations upon the tube a termediate shaft 66, the bevel pinions 68 and 69 and the camshaft 70 to be rotated at a reduced rate'of speed and consequently operates the clutch operating cam 72 at the same reduced speed. As long asthe roller 7 6 travels upon the surface of the cam plate 72, the clutch member 57 will remain out of engage mentwith the clutch member 58 and the worm shaft 54 will accordingly remain at rest; during such periods the rollers 31 accordingly do not travel about the tube a but simply r0- tate about their axes without producing the spiral grooves 12 on the travelling tube. As 'a result of this, the section 0 of the tube has lengthwise grooves formed-thereon and other-' wise remainsunchanged and is not given the twisted appearance. When, however, the roller 76 rides on one of the cam sections 7 2, 7 2 or 72, the clutch lever 7 7 will be operated to throw the clutch member 57 into engage ment with the clutch member 58 and to thereby'transmit rotative motion to the worm shaft 54. The worm gearing -52-53 is thereby brought into operation and causes a rotation of the shaft 48 which in turn, through the medium of the sprocket wheels 47 and sprocket chain 46, rotates the supporting plate 28 upon the ball bearings 25-26-27 and aceordin ly moves the rollers 31 in a circular patha out the axis of the tube a. This opcration continues as long as the roller 76 remains upon the high portionof any one of'-' the cam sections '72, 7 2 and 72 and results in creating a, twisted section 03 upon said tube a. As soon as the roller 76- drops from the cam section back to the surface of the cam plate 72, the clutch lever 77. under the influcncexof the spring 84,.will bc pivotally actuated to shift the clutch member 57 out of engagement with the clutch member 58, so

that further actuation of the worm shaft 54 and its associated elements will cease and movement of the rollers 31 about the tube a will also stop. This willwresult in another untwisted section a on the tube a, as will be clear from the description hereinbefore. As the operation of themechanism continues, the tube a'will finally present the appearance of being twisted at spaced intervals and of not bein twisted at the points between the twisted sections (2. The extent of the sections a and (Z in accordance with any predetermined plans.

. The chuck itself and the mechanism for intermittently operating-the same are simple in construction and require no particularly skilled supervision in the performance of their functions. The chuck and its controlling .mechanism are reliable and uniform in action predeterand operate automatically once the mined adjustments have been made.

Various changes in the specific form show and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the'invention. I

Iclaim:

1. The combination of a'chuck for spirally grooving a travellingvtube said chuck normally operating lengthwise of said tube, and means for automatically moving said chuck at spaced intervals in a circular path about the axis of said tube.

2-. The combination of a sleeve for guiding a travelling tube, a supporting'member rotatable about the axis of said sleeve, a plurality of grooving rollers carried by' said.

member for spirally grooving said tube, and

means for automatically operating said menuher at spaced intervals to move said rollers. in a circular path about the axis of said sleeve. ,3. The combination of a stationary sleeve for guiding a travelling tube, a supporting member rotatable about the axis ofsaid sleeve,

a plurality of bearing blocks adj ustably fixed upon said member, forked members mounted in said blocks and adjustable about axes extending radially with respect to the axis of said sleeve, grooving rollers journalled in said forked .memberszfor spirally grooving said tube, and mechanism for automatically operating said supporting member at spacedintervals to move sald rollers m a circular path about saidaxis of thefsleeve.

4. The combination of a rotatable chuck for spirally grooving a travelling tube, said chuck normally operating lengthwise of said tube, driving mechanism for actuating said chuck, and a cam for automatically controlling said mechanism to move said chuck at spaced intervals in a circular path about the axis of said tube.

5. The combination of a sleeve for guiding a travelling tube, a sup orting member rotatable about the axis 0 said sleeve, a'plurality of grooving rollers carried by said member for spirally grooving said tube, mechanism for operating said chuck, a motor for driving said mechanism, a clutch where by said motor and mechanism are connected with and disconnected from each other, and a cam for automatically controlling said clutch in a manner to operate said supporting member at spaced intervals to move said rollers about the axis of said guidwith and disconnected from each other, a controlling cam, a reducing unit operatively'connected with said drive shaft and cam whereby the latter is operated at a reduced speed, and a clutch lever controlled by said cam whereby said clutch is operated to cause said supporting member to be actuated at spaced intervals to move said grooving rollers in a circular path about the axis of said guiding sleeve.

7. The combination of a sleeve for guiding a travelling tube, a supporting member ro-v tatable about the axis of said sleeve, a'plur'ality of grooving rollers carried, by said mem-;

her for spirally rooving said tube, a motor,

a drive shaft in riving connection with saidmotor, a worm shaft, a worm-wheel shaft operatively connected with said supporting member, worm gearing connecting said worm shaft and worm wheel shaft, a clutch member slidably mounted on said worm shaft to rotate therewith, a co-operating clutch member fixed on said drive shaft, a reducing unit connected with said drive shaft, a controlling cam operatively connected with said reducing unit and operated thereby at a reduced speed, and a clutch lever controlled by said cam for periodically moving said slidable clutch member into and out of engagement with said co-operating clutch member whereby said supporting member is operated at spaced intervals to move said grooving rollers in circular paths about the axis ofsaid guiding sleeve.

8. The combination of a rotatable chuck for spirally grooving a travelling tube, said chuck normally operating lengthwise of said tube, driving mechanism for actuating said chuck, and a cam for automatically controlling said mechanism to move said chuck at p spaced intervals in a-circular' path about the,

axis of said tube, said cam including adjust- I able sections whereby the intervals between successive operations of said chuckmay be varied. a x I 9. The combination of a rotatable chuck for spirally grooving a travelling tube, said i chuck normally operating lengthwise of said I tube, driving mechanism for actuating said chuck, and a cam for automatically controlling said mechanism toimove said chuck at spaced intervals in a circular path about the axis of said tube, said cam including adjustable sections whereby the duration of the periods of operation of said chuck maybe varied.

10. The combination of a rotatable chuck for spirally grooving a travelling tube, said chuck normally operating lengthwise of said tube, driving mechanism for actuating saidchuck, and a cam for automatically controlling said mechanism to move'said chuckat spaced intervals in a circular path'about the axis of said tube, said cam including adjustable sections whereby the intervals between successive operations of vsaid chuck may be varied, and the duration of the periods I of operation thereof may be adj usted.. v 11. The combination'of a sleeve for g'uid .motor, a drive shat in driv ng connection with said motor, a second'shaft 1n operative of grooving rollers carried; by saiding a travelling tube, a supporting member connection with said supporting member, a

clutch whereby said two shafts are connected. with and disconnected from each other, a

controlling, cam, a reducing unitioperatively' connected withsaid driveshaft and camj whereby the latter isoperated ate reduced speed, and a clutch lever controlled by said cam whereby said clutch'is operated to cause said supporting member to-be, actuated at spaced intervals to move said'grooving roll a er 'in a circular pathabout the axis of i guiding Sleeve, said controlling ing active sections arranged to be adjusted to vary the intervals betweenv successive operations of the supporting 'inembe'r and theyl '1 duration of the periods of operation there-.

of.. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MAXWELL H. SUSSMAN. 

